A Sister's Search
by Jins Lil Whirlwind
Summary: Koto meets a girl who is trying to find her brother. The girl thinks that Koto may be able to help her locate him. Who is her brother? Everyone's favorite ice apparition... TOUYA! Thanks to the reviewers! Chapter 6 FINALLY! Yoko?
1. Koto's Debt

**This story has be re-written now, hopefully with a few less typos. I proofed it and clicked save changes, thinking it _had_ before IE crashed. _Apparently_ not... Big thanks to KillersXInXIce, if you hadn't mentioned it , I never would've noticed.**

Note: I know that there are a lot of people out there who don't like OCs, but I'm making this one anyway. I hope you guys will like her. She's going to be a very deep character with a real story. As far as the Touya thing goes, I have changed his story, well, not really changed, since it was never specified in the show, but it IS a different perspective than what most are used to. This is only my point of view. The notes on chappie 2 should explain my reason for creating Kai.

**BTW: Anyone know a good stabbing sound? I used SQUISH but it's not even close.**

**Update: This story is now considered #2 on the timeline my stories are going on, if you want to read the others. My stories are made to stand alone, but they compliment each other if they are read together. **

**I own nothing...

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The rain pelted down like bullets. The poor fox was cornered. This snake was going to have it's way with her. The vibrations of the rain, as it pounded the earth, and the flood it had caused in this creature's den, were only serving to anger it further. In this muddy pit, there was nowhere for her to run, and as if things weren't bad enough with one demon serpent, there were 7 more behind him who had also been flooded out of their home.

'_I can't die like this! I'm a celebrity! There has to be someone around here to help me! I'm Koto! The greatest emcee who ever lived! Where are all my fans? There's always at least _one _person around, hounding me for an autograph! Where the hell are they when I _need_ them?'_

She had been _trying _to protect her new blouse. She had bought the most expensive one in the entire store. She couldn't wait to show it off, so, she had decided to wear it home. On her way, there had been a sudden downpour of rain. She didn't have time to flag down a ride, she just had to run! If she didn't get out of the rain soon, her investment would be ruined!

Koto looked down at the new shirt. Mud covered the sleeves and she could feel it up her back. Not only had her shirt been destroyed anyway, but it had landed her in a _snake pit_, as well. Ever have one of those days...?

The snake hissed, showing fangs at least 2 inches long. It had raised the top portion of it's long body off the ground, the lower half in a loose coil. Koto knew what this pose meant. He was ready to strike.

The snake pulled it's head back slightly, then, the time was right. It lunged at her with all it's amazing speed.

"AAAAH!" Koto screamed and shut her eyes tight. She knew that this was the end, she just didn't want to see it.

SQUISH

The near certain feeling of pain, as the snake's fangs penetrated her skin and injected their lethal venom, was delayed for some reason. Why hadn't she felt it? She had heard a sound. Did that have something to do with it? To Koto, an old pro in the subject of brutality, it had sounded like a stabbing sound. Something was wrong with this picture. Dare she open her eyes to find out what?

She opened one eye slightly to see... a silver _wing_ sticking out of the snake's head? She opened both eyes fully to see just what was going on. The snake fell to the ground and started writhing. The other snakes lunged at her, mouth's open, fangs bared. A small shriek escaped her. Then, something silvery shot through the air, going straight through the snake nearest to her's head. The object then vanished in a blink of red light. Koto noticed the other one had vanished out of the first snake's skull, too. Two more of the silver objects flew through the air, split snake heads, then vanished. Twice more this happened, leaving Koto surrounded by writhing, mortally wounded snakes.

One of the demon's tails trashed violently. It came slicing through the air, straight for the fox's head. This snake's large body, along with it's speed and strength, could easily break her neck if it hit, but it never did. Once more the silvery objects came sailing down through the air, stabbing the snake's thrashing body and pinning it to the ground, where it continued to jitter.

Koto stood in awe, still unable to comprehend the events that had taken place. She looked at the silvery object sticking through the snake. She hadn't saw a wing earlier, it was part of a hilt. A decorated handle for a short sword was what stuck out of the serpent. A black hand grip, the end of which had a silver dragon's head. The other end, at the base of the blade, had a large silver wing sticking out of one side, and a small dragon's claw on the other. Who did these belong to? Who had saved her? The sound of footsteps alerted her to the fact that she was about to find out...

A dark figure appeared above her, in the blurred curtain the rain had created. It drew closer and closer to the edge of the pit she had slipped and fallen into. Koto knew this person had saved her, but she still found herself praying that they were friendly.

"Having a rough day?" the figure asked her, in a rather sarcastic tone. This voice wasn't scary at all! A girl's voice! That was a big relief to Koto. That killed the fear that it may be some pervert who had just saved her from _one_ crisis, only to pull her into another.

"Who are you?"

"Take my hand. We'll make small-talk after you're outta there."

"How do I know I can trust you?" They were both pretty much shouting over the sound of the rain.

"Well, if you wanna stay down there till Scaly's in-laws show up, be my guest."

"On second thought, you seem pretty honest!" Koto said in a panicky voice. She reached up to the girl who had saved her, and was pulled out of the muddy pit.

"Now, who _are_ you?"

"My name's Kairi," she replied. Koto could now see her. She seemed pretty tall, about 5'11 Koto guessed. She could make out long, blue hair and blue eyes. She was wearing some kind of long, black, raincoat.

"That tells me a _lot_!" Koto snapped, in the same sarcastic tone that "Kairi" had given her a few moments ago.

"Look," she said, starting to walk away, "we can chat over cookies and hot chocolate _later_. Right now, I just wanna get out of here before the family reunion starts in that hell-_hole_..." She turned to look back at the pit. "Oh! Almost forgot those."

Koto watched as the small swords disappeared once more, only this time, a red light formed in her rescuer's hands. The light took form. A pair of daggers, not swords, appeared in Kairi's hands, then, just as they had done before, the daggers vanished yet again.

"What the-? How did you do that?"

"They're much easier to store in pseudo space. My _purse_ is a little _full_..." This girl had the sarcasm thing down.

"Say what?"

"Like I said_. Later_." With that, Kairi turned her back and started walking. Koto was still wondering just what exactly she had meant about storing her weapons, when she heard something behind her. She turned to see a large pair of glowing eyes at the small hole in the far side of the pit.

"Hey! Wait up!" she cried, running fast to catch up to Kairi.

"Didn't _think_ it'd take you long," Kairi giggled.

**In the corner booth at a nearby restaraunt...**

"So, how'd you find me? What were you doing out there?"

"Looking for you," Kairi answered, before taking a sip of her fat-free, french vanilla, cappucino.

"What? Did one of my fans send you? Wait, you're not a reporter are you?"

"Nope. I was looking for my own purposes. There was something I needed to ask you about."

"Huh? Look, if you think I can get you a job in telev-" Koto was cut short by Kairi's giggling.

"Not even close, sista. I needed to find out something about one of the contestants at last year's tournament."

"Like what? And... _who_?"

"Touya Juhyoo. I need to find out where he is now."

"Touya? Master of Ice, Touya?"

"Just how many _Touyas _did you have competing?"

"Good point," Koto muttered. "I don't know anything about him."

"You guys do background checks on every contestant. It's a requirement."

"The guys in the _office_ do background checks. _I'm_ just an announcer. I don't know anything they don't think is important enough to put on the notes they give me before each match. And even if I _did_, why would I just give out information on someone? What? Are you a _stalker _or something?"

"Try a relative."

"No way! I'm not _that_ dumb! He's an ice apparition. I don't sense _one drop_ of ice energy coming from you."

"That's because I don't have one drop of ice app blood." Kairi looked at Koto's confused expression. "We're half-siblings. I'm mostly water apparition."

"How can you even be _half_-siblings if _you_ don't have any ice apparition blood?"

"Let me guess, you think Toy's 100 percent ice apparition, don't you?"

"Of Course he is! ...Isn't he?"

"Nope. 99.9, maybe. He took after his dad, for the most part. His father was Taka, the former Master of Ice. _Our _mother, Akira, was a water apparition. Siren, to be exact."

"SAY _WHAT_?" Heads turned to the sound of Koto's surprised reaction. "You mean to tell me that the greatest ice-user in the world is only _half_ ice demon?"

"Pretty much."

"I never would've guessed tha- hey! Wait a minute! How do I know you're not making this up?"

"You don't. Belive it or not. I don't care. Either way, you're going to help me find him."

"First off, I don't _have_ to help you. Second, I don't know where he is anyway, and third, if you _are_ his sister, then why do you need help _finding_ him to begin with?"

"We were separated when we were kids. A bunch of pricks came to our village, killed everyone, then burned what was left to the ground. I thought I was the sole survivor, until I saw him fighting in the tournament."

"Well, that answers one question, but it still doesn't mean I trust you."

"Look, I don't care if you do or not. As far as proof, sorry, but when I was fleeing for mylife, I forgot to grab the family _photo _album. Next, you owe me. If I hadn't saved your ass a little while ago, you'd be dead, swelling, and leaking bodily fluids right now due to a couple dozen _snake_ bites."

"Well, even if I _do_ owe you, I can't tell you anything I don't _know_."

"You don't know where he went, but your friends at the lounge do. Get some info out of them. I'll take it from there."

Koto was getting a mental image of what would have happened to her had Kairi not shown up. She _knew_ that she owed her. Besides that, she thought that she might actually trust what she was hearing. Kairi's eyes were a different color than Touya's, darker blue, and instead of being pupiless, they looked normal, but the shape was identical. Her hair was the same shade of blue as Touya's, although she didn't have any aqua in it. Some of their facial features seemed to show some resemblence. Kairi was taller than Touya. She wasn't 5'11, as Koto had thought at first. She had noticed that Kairi was wearing stilettos when they had entered the building. She didn't know how tall they were, but she figured they were probably about 4 inches. 5'7 maybe. Taller than Touya, but not _that _much.

"Oh, _fine_. I'll see what I can do."

TBC...

**Alright folks, what do you think of Kairi so far?**


	2. Shopping!

**Kai is not going to be another Mary Sue if you haven't noticed. All my stories follow a timeline (profile tells it) and Kairi is going to be more of a tool than a character. You can only write so many of those "It was an average day in the home of" stories before they get old, so Kai is going to be my link to other possibilities. Instead of making 50 Mary Sues to rescue or go visit, the only difference between which is a physical description, I'm making one familiar character with an actual story . She will be the one who takes the boys to new places and adventures, thus creating more interesting stories. Example: Kai finds out her old friend is sick and she needs to go visit her, meaning a trip halfway across Makai; instant adventure story. Hope you guys like this idea. Anyway, I'll shut up now!**

**Own nothing, cept Kai. Enjoy!  
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Koto looked around the main lobby of the mall. This was the second largest mall in all the Demon World. Why hadn't she picked somewhere else to meet? She hadn't thought Kairi would be that hard to spot, considering her sense of "fashion." She'd looked all over this place and hadn't seen anyone dressed anything like that. 

"Hey."

Koto turned to see, "Kairi?"

"Yeah. Forget me that fast?" the familiar voice giggled.

"No. You just look...um... different," Koto replied. She almost hadn't recognized her. The ankle-length, black, leather, trench coat had been replaced by a short, _very short_, pink, plaid skirt and a white halter top, the front of which, was adorned by a glittery heart, also pink. Those 4 inch stiletto boots had been traded in for some glitter covered, strappy sandals, pink, too. Koto noticed that their heels were probably the same height as the boots' had been, only they were made of a clear acrylic substance, giving them the look of "glass slippers." She had pink bangle bracelets on one wrist and a "princess" charm bracelet on the other. Her hair completed the look, a small ponytail pulled the hair from the top and sides up to the top of her head, the rest hung loose. And what was holding that ponytail? A pink, faux fur, scrunchie.

So much for the fierce warrior she had met earlier that week...

"I'd been traveling last time you saw me. This is everyday Kai. Now c'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"I don't like people listening in. Besides, my Makai Express is all paid up, time to max it out again," she giggled.

"Shopping?" Koto looked like she might pour tears of joy.

"Of course." Kai started walking toward the Paws-n-Claws nail salon. "Against my religion to go a full week without a fresh mani & pedi. You up?"

"Naturally!" Koto grinned as she followed Kairi. Her face still resembled that of a human child on Christmas morning.

**Mid-way through manicures...**

"The bad news is that no one knows where Touya was headed when he left here."

"Figures. Ninjas are trained in the art of invisibility. Shinobi of the Demon World are the stealthiest bastards alive. Makes finding one a real bitch," Kairi stated in a rather annoyed tone.

"The good news is that we found this address. One of his friends, Shishiwakamaru, left it for his fan mail," Koto said, reaching Kairi a piece of paper with her dry hand.

"Already tried it," she said, looking at the address scribbled on the small Post-It in her hand. "They were there before, but they left a couple months ago. No one knew exactly where they were headed. Just that Touya and his 5 friends were going somewhere to train."

"Why didn't you just come and talk to him when the tournament was going on? You said you saw him fighting. It would've been a lot easier."

"I was on the other side of Demon World at the time. I left as soon as I saw him, but it was a 3 month trip to get to where the tournament was being held. He was long gone by the time I got anywhere near this town. I followed him for a while. Every time I found out where he'd been they told me he was gone. Kept showing up a day late and a dollar short. Eventually the trail got cold. That's when I started looking through the tournament records. I found that address but by the time I got there, they'd all packed up and left again."

"Oh. Sorry"

"That's Okay. You did what you could."

"Well, do you know any other way to find him?"

"Nope. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next tournament to start. It's just a few months from now, right?"

"Yeah. I'll even see what I can do about getting you some VIP seats," Koto said, trying to make her new "friend" feel better.

"Thanks."

The girls finished their manicures and pedicures. Koto had asked Kairi how she kept her nails that long with all her traveling. The girl's nails were longer than any model or actress Koto had ever seen, she wanted to know this secret! She soon saw how. Kairi had gotten over half a bottle of diamond dust top coat & strengthener put on them. Her enemies would have an easier time breaking one of those daggers!

They went to the various clothing and shoe stores. They had pretty well maxed out both of their credit cards when Koto's cell phone rang.

"Hello? What? How did you get this number? I thought you were head over heels for _Natsume_ now you two-timing, girl-crazy, pig! What? So the only time you want me is when you're _DRUNK?_ Why you-!" Koto paused before she lit in with another insult, seeming to be thinking about something. She looked at Kairi, then back to her phone. "Why you're so drunk that you're being honest aren't you?" she said in a _much_ sweeter voice than she'd been using mere seconds ago. "The alcohol must have made made you admit your true feelings for me. .. So, where _could_ I see you? Uh-huh. Well you have to tell me where you are if you want to see me... Well even if I can't get there, I want to know where you are...I've been thinking about you, too. I spend a lot of time worrying about where you are now and whether or not you're safe..." Koto seemed to be laying it on thick. Her voice had changed into that of a well rehearsed actress from a soap opera. A grin was plastered on her face, a girl's sign meaning "I'm working on getting what I want from this jackass! Watch this!" Kairi guessed she'd had more than a little practice at this game. But, then again, hadn't they all?

"Yeah?" Koto searched frantically for something, then started making motions like she was scribbling in the air, girl sign for "gimme something to write with!" Kai was already digging in her purse and soon produced a red pen with a marabou feather top and a bobbly rose in the center of them. She also pulled out a hot pink notepad in the shape of a heart, covered with plush, faux fur. Girly wasn't even the term...

Koto kept uh-huhing whoever she was talking to, shifting the cell into the phone-in-the-neck position, as she started writing on the notepad that she now held up against the wall.

A few minutes of artificial sweet-talk later, she hung up and handed Kairi the notepad back, now with an address written on one heart shaped page.

"What's this?"

"That's where your brother is! That was his friend Chu. That drunk has got a major crush on me," Koto laughed "Too bad it's in the Human World, but at least you know he's safe until the tournament starts. No one there is strong enough to _bruise_ him, let alone slaughter him mercilessly."

"Whaddya mean by 'until the tournament starts'?"

"He's in the Human World, you can't get to him there." Koto gave Kairi a look that seemed to say "Duh..."

"Who says I can't?" Kairi gave Koto a mischievous grin that seemed to say "bet me."

"This is the Human _World_ we're talking about, it's not like a bus ride across town."

"I'm resourceful." Kairi grinned on.

"Just how do you plan to get _there?_"

"Let's just finish shopping, I'll get there tomorrow."

"There's no way!"

"There is when you have low friends in high places," Kairi said with that "I'm-up-to-something" grin still intact.

Koto had no idea what this girl was planning, but for some reason, she wasn't so sure she _wanted_ to know...

TBC

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**Well, whatcha think? Go easy, just showing Kai's attitude, not going to be completely girly all the time.**  



	3. The Dark Forest

**Yes, Kai is girly. Yes, Kai loves pink. Not her fave color, which is blue, but it's up there on the list. It's only surface deep though. She loves her trendy, girly, outward appearance, but part of that is so anyone who would harm her will automatically consider her an average, helpless girl, meaning an easy kill when she shows them otherwise. Kai is physically weak and by no means a real "fighter," not by Demon standards anyway, so she has to have something to fall back on, but that will all be explained later. For now though, please don't dismiss her as a bimbo, I promise she isn't!  
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**This chappie starts out slow, but please give it a chance. This is what the Human World looks like through a demon's POV.**

**For those who haven't already (if anyone) you might want to read A Little Misunderstanding right about now. You're about to find out why these two were set at about the same time... That should be coming up within the next chappie or 2 of these 2 stories.  
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The streets were filled with noisy humans going about their daily routines. A human child, about 3 Kairi guessed, was screaming something incomprehensible to his mother as the poor woman dragged him out of the toy store. There were many human children around here. Some with their mothers, some with older children. There was a group of them playing a game Kairi thought was called "hopscotch" on the sidewalk. The sight of these children made her smile. She liked _them_. _They_ were cute. It was the older humans she worried about... 

Kairi hated being around all of these grown humans. She was an old pro at the art of survival, and one of the top rules of that was to avoid humans _at all costs_. Every demon knew what humans liked to kill. A demon should never walk into a scenario where they were outnumbered by those creatures unless they knew they were powerful enough to kill them all. Kairi, however, knew that she wasn't powerful enough to compete with _one_ human, she didn't have a prayer of fighting this many!

Normal humans didn't bother her. They had strength in numbers, but that was all. She was a siren, and even though her attacks were limited, she wouldn't need to do much after she'd sang her siren song. No ordinary human was strong enough to resist the love spell that song would place on them, and once the spell was cast, the target would be left as a drooling idiot, her's to do what she pleased with. She still had to fear the female humans, a siren's spell would only work on the opposite sex, leaving her defenseless if one of these women found her out. They'd sound the alarm and Yama knows how many humans would come running to kill the "evil demon" that was walking their streets.

_'Just let me blend in, at least halfway, until I get to that mountain!'_ she silently prayed. Her friends back home had heard of the place. A famous psychic by the name of Genkai lived there. The mountains around her home were virtually free of all life, with the exception of the animals that inhabited the woodlands surrounding it. She would be safe there. No humans to kill her just for being what she was.

She continued to try and "blend in." This being her first time in the Human World, she assumed she was doing pretty good. Just a few glances from the human boys and a couple glares from the girls. That was common even back home. Reading all those human books had prepared her, somewhat, for what this place would be like.

Human things had a way of traveling back to the Demon World. Books, which were Kairi's personal favorite, clothing, technology of any kind, providing the demons didn't already have something similar that surpassed it; just about anything they could get their hands on. Demons who could find ways to get back and forth between the worlds made a pretty good living off said items, selling them to those who were not so blessed with travel options, but still wanted to know what that world was like.

Kairi had read many books from the humans. She would read anything, actually. Books could travel with a person, not like TV or billiard tables, so that had become her hobby of choice. She had read many stories by one particular human, King, Stephen King. She found him a very likable human. To her, he was as close to a God as any human could ever hope to be. She found herself wishing that this place more resembled one of his novels than it did the text books she'd read on it. It would be a lot more like home that way...

**A couple hours later...**

The mountain trail was getting rougher and rougher, but, she supposed she should expect that. She had been warned, after all.

Her map only went as far as the bottom of the trail. Getting to that trail, from the city she'd been transported to, was _her_ problem. The human man that she had asked for directions had told her that the way to Master Genkai's compound was quite a journey. After hearing all the directions and seeing the mountains he'd made reference to, she had asked if it would be quicker to just hike up the backside of that mountain, making gestures to the tall, forest covered, mass of land that stood off to the east of the city.

"You're not from around here are you?" the man had asked her with wide eyes.

"Now what makes you say a thing like that?" She tried to keep as innocent a face as she could while asking this. She didn't mind telling him she was from far away, she just didn't want to admit _how_ far away.

"Nobody could tackle that trail, miss."

"I could. Hiking is an old hobby of mine." That little hill was _nothing _compared to the ones back home.

"It's not just the hike you gotta worry about," the man informed, though looking at the dainty figure standing before him, he doubted that she could handle that part either. "It's the inhabitants that make it impossible."

"Inhabitants?" Her friends hadn't mentioned any of those. More humans?

"Well," he leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if what he was about to say would frighten the passersby who might overhear, in fact, he looked as if he was afraid to say the words himself, "they say that forest is infested with..._demons!_" With this whispered word his eyes began to search frantically around him, as if speaking of these creatures might invoke them to come down and gobble him up for telling their secrets.

"Oh really?" Kairi said, in her most skeptical voice, as she folded her arms across her chest. She was fighting the urge to say "is _that_ all?" A grin worked it's way over her pale face. This man thought that grin meant that she considered him a superstitious fool. If he _only_ knew...

"You think I'm crazy don't you?"

The reply came in the form of stifled giggles and a "course not," in between.

"They call that place The Dark Forest, and it's chock full of all kinds of evil things. No one who's been stupid enough to wander in has ever came back out. There's demons and ghosts and all kinds of things that wanna rip your throat out!" The man continued to try and convince the girl in front of him, but was seeming to do nothing but worsen his own fear of the place, at least that's what it looked like to him.

"So if no one ever came back, just how do people know what's in there?" She looked at the man with a very smug grin. She hated humans, but they were fun to play with.

He puzzled over this for a minute, looking at the girl's "gotcha there" expression. "Look, I don't know how to explain this to ya but everyone knows that there's bad stuff in that forest. Any idiot can tell that. Just lookin' at the place gives ya weird feelings, and don't _ever_ walk near it at night! You can hear noises coming out of that place that would make a _war vet_ wet his pants!"

He was right about one thing, looking at it definitely set off some weird feelings. Anyone with spirit awareness could've picked up on this strange vibe. To a human, it would seem downright horrifying, but to Kairi, it merely heightened her looming feelings of being homesick.

"So just what do these demons look like?" she asked, no longer trying to hide her amusement.

"I've never seen a real demon before, you should know that since I'm standing here!" _'Pal, you've got nooooo idea' _ "But they say that they're huge! They've got black, beady eyes, they say you can look in those eyes and see a stairway to Hell! And they've got claws! Like butcher knives on the end of their fingers! If one of those things grazed you it'd cut you like a sword through hot butter!" _'Keep it together, girl, you don't want to completely lose it right in his face! Just keep breathing! Don't laugh!'_ "And their teeth! Rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth! And they're strong enough to crunch your bones into powder! And they all eat...," Gulp "_humans!_"

After teasing the man a little longer about these creatures with razor teeth and those beady eyes, she had decided to get going. She had promised him she wouldn't take that shortcut through the Dark Forest, but that was only so he'd shut up and let her get going. At the foot of the mountain, there had been a fork in the road. Well, not really a fork, since there was only one road, but Kairi had seen two. The beaten path, or the shortcut.

"Ah, what the hell? I haven't got to play today," she had thought aloud as she'd started up the side of the hill that led to the forest. She was anxious to see her big brother, and that other path would've taken and additional 5 hours easy with all the twists and turns she saw on the map her pals back home had supplied her with. For a human, it would've been easy, but one giving off demon energy would have to work for it with all the traps that old lady had set for any demons that might want to build a reputation by being the one to "off" her.

She was tired of this damned mountain. She'd been hiking forever it seemed like. Although her body, well accustomed to long trips through the backwoods, wasn't tired, she wanted off this trail. She _needed_ a change of scenery. This place was so... dull. Aside from the occasional hissing in the treetops, and whispering in the bushes, there hadn't been any excitement since she'd got here. The other demons must've sensed that she was one of them, or decided that she was too bony for them to waste their time trying to eat her. Either way, no playmates...

Until...

"Look little ones," a shrill voice said. Kairi looked around to see a pair of red lights in the trees above. No. Not lights. Eyes.

"A lost girl has been found by Baldok. Baldok shall have dinner, he shall!"

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**Okie dokie. A familiar face for the cartoon network watchers. What will happen when Kai runs into Yusuke's old "Pal" Baldok? Don't remember him? He's the man-bat in one of the Genkai tournament episodes. Pull out those DVDs and start rewatching...Don't be embarrassed about it lol, I had to so I could make sure to get his dialogue right. Next chappie will prolly be the end of this story so if ya like it review !  
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	4. Baldok's Deal

**For the record, this was much better the first two times iI typed it. The power blinked off just enough to make me start from scratch. It took a whole new direction because I was tired of redoing it. Hope you like it anyway. I'm about to get into why Kairi has been traveling so much. (Remember what I said about new adventures?) She will eventually introduce the YYH boys to a villain without equal.  
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**BTW: I've re-proofed most of my stories, so if you want to see them without so many typos, they should be about right now. I also put up a new fic, _The Secrets Revealed_. My first try at drama, but if I write it, you know there's humor involved. Yeah, 2 updates in one night again, and one of 'em was typed 3 times! I'm gettin' good LOL**

**Update: For those who want to know what Kai's daggers look like, there is now a link on my profile that leads to a photo of one. This isn't a drawing, it's an actual photo of one of my daggers. It's the one Kai's got based on. **

**I own nothing. Enjoy!**

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Kairi looked above her. She was surrounded by dozens, possibly hundreds, of red eyes. One particularly vexing set, was larger than the rest. She thought that the voice she'd heard came from the same direction as these. 

Before Kairi could react, those eyes were gone. She felt a stinging in heer right thigh.

"Baldok smells fresh blood! This makes him hunger more!"

She whirled to see the largest bat she had ever laid eyes on, crouching down, getting ready for another swipe. He had to be at least 7 feet tall, maybe more, though in this position, she couldn't tell.

_'He was already behind me before I knew he moved. He's too fast for me this way. This could require a little effort...'_

"HAAAA!" The bat came at her. She dropped to the ground and rolled to her left, barely missing his claws. She noticed, as she fell, that his claws had been aimed where her throat should have been. If she'd tried to side-step him, she would be dead right now. Adrenaline began to rush through her. Adrenaline, and her father's blood...

"Human girl puts up a fight, she does! More than the other ones Baldok has tasted, but Baldok likes a chase! Baldok shall enjoy the game we plays!"

He sank back, ready to unleash another assault.

_'I think I know how to handle this one...,'_ she thought. Unbeknownst to Baldok, the adrenaline rush had a way of stirring things inside of this girl. In the patch of sunlight she was standing in, he couldn't see the faint blue glow coming from her back either.

"Ready or not! Here he comes!"

He charged again, claws spread, but he missed his target. How did he do this? He found that his target was missing!

"What? Where does human girl go?"

He looked around frantically, trying to find some trace of his prey. This was starting to take on an all too familiar feeling. He backed up, in front of two trees, and waited for some sign of the girl; a twig snapping; a bush rustling; any sign would do. He remembered that human boy who had got away from him, but that boy had jumped. There was no way she could have stayed up that long. He continued to wait...

"AAAHHH!" he screamed as the searing pain shot through his wings. He tried to move, but that only hurt worse.

"Why can't Baldok move? He's stuck! What holds him?"

It was then that he checked his left wing. There was a blade sticking out of it! A dagger, with a curved blade, the top of which was lined with teeth, something like a saw blade, only they were much bigger, and like the blade, they were curved. He tried to pull again, tearing his wing even more. He saw that the end of the blade had been sunk into the tree behind him. The same was true for the other wing. If he tried to pull the dagger out, the curves would catch him. If he tried to pull his wings off of them, the teeth would shred him. He was trapped.

"How does he get free? What has that nasty human girl done to him?"

"If you call me a _human _one more time I'm gonna rip one of your wings off! Then you can fly around in _circles!_"

"What? Where is she?"

"Up here, jackass!"

"What? Human girls can't fly! How does she stay up there?"

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

Baldok could now see Kairi hovering right below the trees. She came a little gloser, and when she got out of the blinding sunlight, he saw two large wings on her back. They were royal blue, and feathery, not like his. They looked like they were from a bird or an angel...

The wings vanished, letting her fall to the ground. She landed on her feet, and stalked over to the struggling bat.

"My little one! They'll eat you if Baldok can't!"

"Wouldn't try it if I were you."

"Why not?"

"If you ever want those daggers out without ripping the skin off of those wings, you'll tell your pals to stay put."

"Baldok can get funny knives out without you!"

"Have fun. I'll be right here when the blood-loss starts getting to you."

The bat fought with all his might, but she was right. After a few minutes, the agony was too much. He stopped struggling.

"Now, if you think you can behave yourself, I might let you out of there."

"What does she speak of?"

"I think I've got a use for you."

The bat started to protest, but a twitch of his wing sent a jolt of pain to every nerve in his body.

"There's a compound in these mountains. They say it belongs to a psychic named Genkai. I need to get there. You've been here a while," she looked up at all the other bats in the trees, they were a silent testiment to her theory. "You should know where to find this place."

"NO! Baldok never goes near the old woman! Baldok has been hurt by her before!"

"You want to stay pinned up to that tree?"

"Baldok would rather die on the trees! The old woman hurts more, she does!"

"What if I told you that you weren't going to get hurt?"

"Baldok is already hurt! HUMPH!"

"And that I can make that pain go away?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I have healing powers. Cooperate with me and I'll let you go _and_ heal your wings."

"She lies. She hurt Baldok. He can't trust her!"

"Baldok tried to eat her! And, worse than that, he called her a HUMAN!" she lashed out.

"Baldok never meant to eat her..."

"What_ever_..."

"Baldok will help, if she promises him that he won't get hurt anymore."

"Deal."

With that, the daggers disappeared, leaving the bat to fall to his knees. Kairi used her song to heal his wings, just as she'd promised, and they set off toward Genkai's. Kairi's heart had a way of getting to her. She supposed that was her mother's blood. It was the part that made her stop on a trail to heal a butterfly that was lying injured in the dirt, or get a lost child to a safe haven. It was the part that hated to fight, and only did so as a last resort. Her father's blood, that was different. That was the part that took over after it was clear that a confrontation couldn't be avoided. The part she hated, yet, she knew that without it, she wouldn't have lived past the age of 8.

Baldok told her they were nearing Genkai's place. He had tried to back out on their deal. She had to put a belt around his neck, using it as a rigged leash, to keep him from turning tail. The other demons here were afraid of him. She could hear their whispers as they walked by. Some had even taken off running through the bushes, trying to get away. There were more demons in this part of the forest. She couldn't fight them all. She couldn't afford to have him turn-tail now.

It was also dark out. Kairi had decent night-vision, something she'd inherited from her father, but it was nowhere near as good as a bat's. Whether he liked it or not, he was going.

Just then, there was a rustling in the trees. Kairi looked up to see a redheaded boy, in his late teens or early twenties, sitting on a low branch. He dropped out of the tree. He stared the pair down with green eyes that looked cold enough to make Satan shiver.

"You should not have come here demons. You will get no sympathy from me."

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** Hmm... A redhead with green eyes... Now who could that be? This one is about to run in with _A Little Misunderstanding_ head-on (it's already started if you noticed the part where Chu was holding the phone...) I'm about to get through showing Kai's personality and abilities and get her into some real stories.**

** Till then, REVIEW!**


	5. A Tense Meeting

**I know it's been a while, but hopefully you guys are still reading! I love the reviews I've got, thank you so much! Now that I have my computer fixed (yeah, that a lot of what took so long) I should be able to get back to writing regular again. I'm still working on Kurama's Holiday Horrors (Kai's in that one, too, if you like her) and after that one is finished I'm going to wrap up A Little Misunderstanding, then I'm free to play with this one a little... or get back to The Secrets Revealed. In any case, start watching for updates again, they are coming!**

**Note: NO! I'm not planning to have Kai and Kurama paired up later! Kai will prolly never be paired with anyone (unless it's another OC)! She is not a "fangirl fantasy" and I'd like to thank the reviewer who pointed that out! **

**I own nothing. Enjoy!**

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"What is your business here?" the redhead asked in a rather menacing tone. The whispering in the bushes had stopped. The hissing of snakes in the tree tops had come to a halt as well. It seemed as if every sound, even that of the wind, had ceased as soon as this boy had spoken. 

_' Somethin' screwy goin' on here. The hell do they know that I don't?' _Kairi thought. This boy looked like a normal human, but there was something peculiar about him. First off, he'd said demons, in the plural form... Now it was pretty darn clear that Bat-boy was a demon, but how did this boy know that _she_ was? She would have given this more thought, but a certain bat started to struggle, trying desperately to escape his belt-leash.

"_Would _you kindly_ hold still_ for a damned minute?" she huffed at the bat, tightening her grip on the slotted end of the belt.

"NO! Baldok hates fox! Him hurts Baldok before! Baldok wants to go home! GACKT-"

The demon's protests were cut short when he tried to turn and run. Kairi gave her end of the belt a sharp tug, causing the loop around his neck to tighten, having much the same effect as a "choke collar" might have on an unruly dog. The redhead watched this display with the same cold eyes, but there was clearly a hint of curiosity in them now. He wanted to know what the hell was going on here, too. At least Kairi was no longer the _only_ one here out of the loop...

"Whattya mean _fox_?"

"Him-," Baldok choked out, pointing at Kurama. Kairi loosened the holds just a little, so he could tell what he knew. "Spirit fox. He ties up Baldok with vines and leaves him! And vines have thorns!" He continued to whine as he rubbed his arms, as if remembering some trauma that had been inflicted upon them. Upon closer inspection, Kairi noticed that there were tiny dots on them where the skin was darker. Scars. Must've been where the aforementioned thorns were.

The boy mostly maintained his poker face, but the corners of his mouth had turned upward, ever so slightly. Kairi took this as a sign that he was proud of his handy-work. She was starting to sport a small grin herself, watching the poor bat's shenanigans.

"You wanna tell me how _that_ is supposed to be a spirit fox? Looks to me like he's missin' a few things; pointy ears, bushy tail, demon body in general..." Although she sounded as if she was mocking the bat, and the boy for that matter, she wasn't so skeptical. His eyes had made her wonder from the start. She hated humans, and she had encountered some very despicable ones, but there were some degrees of cold-heartedness reserved _only_ for demons, and the chill in those emeralds qualified.

The bat continued to struggle, obviously not wanting to stay long enough to answer any more questions. Kurama watched it all very carefully, trying to figure out what this situation was. Upon first arriving, he had thought that this may be another attempt on his life. He had already encountered one assassin earlier this week. With the tournament right around the corner, the low-class demons, who couldn't beat those of his rank _fairly_, had been trying to find other ways of "eliminating the competition." His nose told him that this girl had just come from Makai, just like the last one who was sent for him, but she was _very_ different.

She didn't know the slightest bit about him, for starters. The last demon who had come looking for him had known details; where to find him; what he looked like; who he really was... She didn't even know _what_ he was, let alone _who_ he was. But if she wasn't here for him, then why _was_ she here? One so weak would not have ventured to this world without a compelling reason...

He couldn't sense even the slightest bit of attack energy coming from her. He could _barely_ sense her energy at all. In all honesty, from what he could tell, the girl seemed weaker than even a _normal_ human! But that _couldn't_ be! How could something so weak have dragged Baldok here against his will? And _why_ drag him here against his will? Too many things were not right. He decided to play it cautious until some of his questions were answered.

The bat continued to argue with the girl, fighting for his freedom all the while. It seemed that every time he started to gain some ground, a good yank on that belt brought him right back. Finally, Kurama's near endless supply of patience was being tested. They were either going to answer him, fight, or flee. Anything was better than watching this game of tug-of-war all night.

"If you don't mind demons, I have better things to do with my night than stand here and watch you squabble. Tell me what your business is here or I will have to assume that it is something of foul intent, and trust me," he narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice as he continued to speak, "you do not want me to make that assumption."

The bat had stopped struggling as soon as the boy had began to speak, and was now sitting beside Kairi, as if he could go anywhere else, in somewhat of an Indian-style position. When the boy was through, his gulping noise pulled Kairi's attention back to him, and she planted a stiletto heel in his hip.

"OW! What that for?"

"That'll keep you still."

"You lies! You said Baldok wouldn't get hurt!"

"Baldok said he'd cooperate."

"Baldok said he'd help human gir- ACK!" She sank the heel into his hip. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to let him know it was there. "Help girl find old woman's house! Girl never told him anything about foxes!"

"Baldok never told girl about foxes."

"Baldok quits! HUMPH! Girl can find old woman _and_ brother on her own!" With that, he crossed his arms over his chest and turned his nose up in the air.

"Brother?" The redhead's cold eyes seemed to thaw. Kairi could practically see wheels turning in his head now. How much did he know? Too much. She knew that. She hadn't wanted anyone with a human body to know why she was here. Not for her own sake, but for Touya's. It was common sense that a demon as strong as he was would not be welcome on this side of the tracks. King Yama despised demons altogether, and the more dangerous they were, the more he wanted them dead, but he left them alone as long as they stayed in their world. If he found Touya here... Well... It wouldn't be good. But if this boy was what Baldok said he was...

The redhead took a step forward, and the bat lost all composure.

"Please! Don't hurt Baldok! He has three thousand mouths to feed! And little Timi has a broken wing and he may never be able to fly again!" The boy got closer, one step at a time. "Baldok goes out and brings food back for him, and he keeps him safe and sings to him," he nodded frantically with this statement, as if that might make the fox buy it. No dice. He kept walking. Expressionless. Hands in his pockets.

Kairi watched every move. If he went to attack, she was ready to get the hell out of dodge and retaliate quick with her daggers. Hopefully, she could sink one in his throat before he knew that she had them. She had already curled her free hand to produce her weapon, and, unbeknownst to this fox, she had already mapped out her dodging path, before he had even spoke. The bushes to her right, the side where Baldok was, were a mere 5 feet away, but to her left, there was plenty of room. With this boy facing her, going left would put her beside his jugular vein. She only had to get out of his way and then throw quick.

But she hoped it wouldn't come to that. _Every_ confrontation was hazardous to a girl this weak. There were never any guarantees that a potential victim would drop their guard long enough. And if her first strike failed, they would know not to let it down again. There was no way she could beat a _real_ fighter in a fair fight.

So she silently _prayed_ that it wouldn't come to that...

"Baldok works hard to keep little ones fed and safe and sound! And sometimes Baldok gets tired but he knows that little ones look up to Baldok so he must be strong for them and then, uh...," He started to stutter as the fox got within striking distance, then, he was no more than 5 feet away! His face still never changed. He turned his gaze to Kairi, who, aside from rolling her eyes once at the bat's pleas, hadn't shifted her gaze from him once.

"Let him go."

"Come again?"

"Let him go. If it is Genkai you seek, I can lead you. But first, I want to know what finding her has to do with a brother."

"And what do you know of Genkai?"

"I am one of her pupils, you could say."

"A pupil? Then would you happen to know of her other pupils?"

"Yes. All those she has recently assisted, anyway."

"Is it true? You're a spirit fox?"

"I was. I have since come to lead a human life."

"How?"

"Long story."

She gave up. She wasn't even going to try to figure this out. But she sensed something change about him. He didn't seem half as frightening now, And though he was still eyeing her with suspicion, he didn't seem that he was going to be a threat if she didn't provoke him, and she had_ no_ intentions on doing that! She decided to go out on a limb. She wouldn't tell him enough to endanger Touya, just enough to see what he already knew.

"Forget it," she said, waving her hands in an "I don't wanna know" fashion. "If you know Genkai's students, have you met one named Touya?"

"Touya!" His eyes widened. She took that as a yes. "Don't tell me he's your brother! He's an ice apparition, you're a ... what are you anyway?"

"A sea nymph." Her response made an eyebrow arch. "He's a half brother." He looked ready to lay on with the questions again. She grinned as smug as she could, folding her arms across her chest. "Long story."

That was all it took. Kurama was still utterly confused as to _how_ this could be, but there was no doubt in his mind that this girl spoke truth. He could see that much in her eyes. There wasn't the slightest hint of a lie in them or in her voice, though there was quite a bit of attitude. It was that attitude, though, that told the tale. He'd seen that smirk a thousand times over. The first time had been in the ring at the Dark Tournament, when Touya had said they should cease with the conversation, since he knew that he was simply trying to buy time for that seal to wear off. Since then, he had encountered it every time Touya bested him while they were sparring, or caught him trying to be sly during a game of Chess.

Kurama gave a small grin. "So, what is your name?"

The girl looked up, after slipping the buckle down the length of the belt, releasing her hostage. "Kairi. You?"

"Kurama."

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**I know it was long and tense, but, this is Kurama we're talking about! We all know he's not dumb enough to walk up and invite some strange demon fresh outta Makai to come to Sunday Supper at his house or something. I also thought he would be the best to use since he knows Touya the best. Anyway, whatcha think? Still with me? **


	6. Yoko?

**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys are still reading, because this is going to make _Return of the Bat_ _sooo_ much easier. Remember how I said "unless it's with another OC"? Well, Kane, or my version of Kuronue, is, in his _own way_, an OC. Though, there won't be any huggy-mushy moments, Kai's not the mushy type and neither is he, there will be some sparks flying, course, that could be them flinging _Napalm_ at each other... They're just alike, short tempers and stubborness included. It's sure to be fun... MUHUHUHAHAHAHA (ahem.)**

**OK, this is a brief stroll through Kai's feelings about saving the day. You'll see, pretty quick, that she isn't the type to dive in front of a bullet for someone (unless it's Touya). She wouldn't have a problem protecting someone she cared for, the thing is, she refuses to let anyone get that close.  
**

**I own nothing. Enjoy!**

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Kairi and Kurama walked through the last part of the Dark Forest. Kairi had been walking a few steps behind him. Though he probably thought that she was just unsure of which way to go, truth was, if they were attacked, he was going in first... 

"After we pass the forest, there is an ancient battlefield. Most of it is swampland. I would suggest going around, considering your footwear," Kurama said, making reference to the stilettos.

"I can fix that little problem." She reached to a small, black bag that was clipped to her belt loop. It looked like one of those miniature backpack change purses/key-chain combinations. When she had it in hand, there was a small swirling of energy, and the bag turned into a full-sized backpack. She flipped up the top and reached inside. Kurama, curious now, looked in. It appeared to be empty...

She pulled out what was, without a doubt, the most _conspicuous_ looking crystal Kurama had ever seen. It lit up the forest for a good 10 feet all around them, changing colors all the while. She held it tightly in her hand, her fingers blocking out all but a little of it's luminescent glow, and closed her eyes. The next thing Kurama knew, it looked like her body was changing color...

A few seconds later, Kurama saw what had happened. Her _body_ hadn't changed color; she had changed _clothes_. She was no longer in the little denim skirt and vest she had wore while "blending in" down in town. She was now decked out in black, patent leather; a halter top, and hot-pants, both with chrome zippers up the front, and on her feet, were knee-high, boots that matched the ensemble. He noticed that the boots were still heels, but these were broad. He thought that he'd heard girls call these "chunky" heels. Whatever they were, they were better than the _toothpicks_ she'd been walking on a few minutes before. It was also kind of hard to miss the tattoo on the left side of her midriff, and the dangling, jeweled navel ring, though he couldn't make out details of either one before the crystal's light faded.

"Might I ask what that is?"

"I don't know what it actually _is_. I got it from an old friend."

"You know how to use it, yet, you don't know what it is?"

"My friend is a witch. I saved her from being killed by an angry mob. Since then, we made a little arrangement," she explained as she returned the crystal and the bag to their original locations. "I travel all over the Demon World, so she sends me lists of ingredients to find while I'm out. When I swing by her neck of the woods, she trades me whatever weird little odds and ends she doesn't use."

"Interesting..."

"You have noooo idea..."

"I'm curious," Kurama said as they started walking again. "How did you manage to save her from a mob? Please, don't take offense to this, but you hardly seem like a fighter..."

"You promise you won't get freaked out?"

"Why would I?"

"Not giving an answer until you know what I'm gonna say?"

Kurama remained silent, but he did give a small smile. She'd caught him trying to avoid that. She kept reminding him of Touya...

"Look, I'm not going to be a threat to you or anyone else around here if no one tries to attack me. Now can you promise not to freak?"

"As long as I'm not put in any danger, I suppose so."

She smiled a little. He was _still_ leaving himself a loop-hole, but she hardly had room to talk. She decided to answer him. "They were all low-classes. Most of them were farmers. I used my song. Once they were under the spell, all I had to do was slit a few throats. I didn't exactly do it for her. They _thought_ I was in league with her. They were planning to burn me at a stake right beside of her. I didn't have much choice."

"Your song? Then I would take it that when you said you were a sea nymph, you meant a siren?"

"Yep. Now you know why I'm cautious. The sailors gave us a bad rep. Now everyone wants to kill us because they're afraid of what we could do to 'em."

"Understandable. I've heard many of the old _fish stories _myself, but I've never put much stock in what I heard from a drunken sailor."

Kairi laughed. She _had_ been waiting to see Touya before she told any details of her past. She knew that most people would be a bit unnerved by not only what she was by her genetic make-up, but by her adventures, mentality, and former occupation as well. She might have been part angel, but a _saint_? Not even close...

She felt as if she could trust this boy, though. Not _entirely_, of course. She didn't trust anyone _that_ well. That was a quick way to find a knife in your back; she knew from experience. But he did seem to be smart enough to use reason. He wasn't the type to get panicked and start swinging before he was given substantial evidence that there was a _need_ to do so.

The front of the forest was in sight, but Kurama stopped abruptly, causing Kairi to nearly bump into his back. He grew deathly quiet, and Kairi quickly caught on to what was wrong.

"It's-"

"Too quiet," Kairi finished for him.

He looked around, trying to find the reason for the sudden silence. He caught a glance of Kairi's face as he did. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration. There wasn't the slightest hint of emotion in them now. It was almost the same look that had been there when he was approaching her earlier, only now, she wasn't bothering to feign any other expressions as a guise. She probably didn't know that he'd caught her doing so earlier, but he knew the look she'd had. She'd been sizing him up from the time he'd made his presence known. Her face had hinted that she was a foolish girl, but her eyes had been entirely empty. She had been using cold. Stoic logic.

He knew, because he was a _master_ of the art.

There was a tiny slushing sound up ahead. It was so faint that a _normal _person would've missed it entirely, but two sets of eyes narrowed in that direction. Kurama was the first to take a step forward. He moved slowly and silently toward the string of seals and wards that marked the edge of the forest. Whatever was making that sound was in the swamp.

"Heeeere foxy, foxy, foxyyyy...," a strange voice called from up ahead. Unbeknownst to Kurama, _Kairi's_ old nickname had been Foxy. Those who gave it to her later started referring to her as Vixie. The problem was, that the ones who had given her that nickname, were her _enemies. _She was hoping that whoever this was, was talking to the _actual_ fox, and not the girl who was just known for being _crazy_ like one...

"That's right Kurama, I _know_ you're there," the voice said.

'_Cool. Long as it's not _my_ ass they're plannin' to fry...,' _Kairi thought. She was just going to sit this one out. Anything came _her_ direction, _kill _it. She wasn't exactly big on turning herself into a martyr. Nobody had ever protected _her_ in this world. Unless she had given her word to do otherwise, she repaid that favor...

Kurama withdrew a single rose from his hair. Kairi recognized this trick. It was the same type of weapon one of her friends used back home. Unlike her other "friends," this one, she actually considered a true friend, not just a familiar acquaintance. He was a spirit fox, just like Baldok had said this boy once was. If she was right, this was just one of his tricks.

That's when it hit her. Kurama; spirit fox; rose whip; he was about the right age...! Ko had told her for years that Yoko Kurama had once been his rival. They fought almost identical. The only thing that separated them was experience, where, due to their ages, Yoko had an advantage. Ko had been trained in the mountains by his master, and when he came down, he had became a bandit. He'd never even _heard _of Yoko Kurama; not _until_ people started calling him a "wanna be." This had sparked a flame in Ko, and he began to compete with Yoko, in _all_ things. They weren't _enemies_, exactly. They were so much alike that it more resembled sibling rivalry than anything else. Ko was one of the few men who had known, and _opposed_, Yoko, and lived to tell about it, due in large part to the fact that Yoko found him amusing.

She started recalling all the tales she'd heard about Yoko. As she did, she started watching every move Kurama made. She took note of every step, every movement of his eyes, every _breath_. If he was who she thought he was...

_Oh_, she was going to have fun with _this_...

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**Next chappie: Kurama's in trouble again... Everyone is starting to notice how many problems I'm givin' him here lately... MUHUHUHAHA (cough,cough) Anyway, whatcha think? And if you like Kai, like I said, she's about to get dragged into _Return of the Bat_, my Kuronue fic. And trust me, Kuronue is going to HATE me... almost as much as Kurama does...**


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